UK Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Age Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, States Regulator
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt fall in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the late July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the checks began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.